[本文亦提供 中文 版本。]
In the global navigation of urban perimeters, we often prioritize speed over depth. My first arrival in Taiwan was intended to be a mere technical stop. A week of exploration before moving toward the heavy systems of Japan and the Silk Road. Instead, I found a frequency that demanded a total recalimation of my path.
The signal became clear in Tainan. Once the capital under the Qing Dynasty, the city is a living archive. It is a place where the constant flow of modern Taiwan meets the «Fixed Point» of century-old tradition. While navigating these streets you aren’t just moving through space, you are moving through layers of time.
What defines the atmosphere of the old town are the Lanterns. These are not mass-produced products. They are hand-painted pieces of history. Walking through the tiny roads, I was struck by the craftsmanship. A discipline I recognize from my own lineage. My father is a handcraftsman and I understand the silence and the focus required to create 1'800 unique pieces of art for the Puji Festival. It is an act of sovereign devotion.
This devotion extends to the somatic experience of the city. The food. In Taiwan, a queue is a metric of quality. Whether it is the world-famous beef noodle soup or the specialized eel noodles with a sharp garlic finish, the ritual of the meal is sacred. There is a specific rhythm to it. A demand for presence. You eat, you appreciate the mastery of the handmade noodle and you move on, leaving space for the next seeker.
In our hectic, modern lives, we often treat our roots as «cache» to be cleared. We repeat the same historical errors because we have forgot about the connection to the original architecture of our souls. Tainan reminds us that protection is a form of evolution. By maintaining the ritual and the tradition, the hand-painted lantern or the perfectly balanced broth, we protect the frequency that makes us human.
My roadmap for the coming months will focus on the offshore islands and the mountain ridges. The mission is to continue documenting these fixed points until the full spectrum of the light is captured.
Sonic Layer #
Tzusing is a US based artist who used to live in Taichung in his early life.
Visual Logs #
Operational Notes #
You can reach Tainan easily by High Speed Rail (HSR) in about 2-3 hours from Taipei. The best time to visit Tainan for lantern related events is in the early months of the year.
Fucheng Puji Lantern Festival (台南府城普濟燈會), 📍Puji Temple
Tucheng Zhengtong Luermen Shengmu Temple Fireworks (台南土城 正統鹿耳門聖母廟 高空花火嘉年華), 📍Tucheng Zhengtong Luermen Shengmu Temple
Longqi Lantern Festival (臺南龍崎光節), 📍Huxingshan Park
